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I met Wills, my wonderful new addition to the family, 9 days ago on a saturday afternoon when PAW rescue was having an event at the local pet store. He quickly melted my heart, and even though I've been spending a long time looking for just the right cavalier (and/or just the right breeder) I filled out the adoption form that night and turned it in the next day.

Wills is absolutely one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met (for my money, he IS the sweetest ). He is gentle and affectionate. Having spent the first two(-ish) years of his life in a puppy mill has left him with very few quirks and anxieties. He's extremely social and trusting of people, wanting nothing more than for someone near him to sit down so he can crawl into your lap (and stay there until you have to get up). He's also a cuddler extraordinaire! He lays right next to you in bed, pushing his back up against you and, if possible, resting his head on your arm or leg. He's smart, too, picking up the clicker and the basic commands much faster than I expected.

Wills loves small stuffed animals as you can see in the picture below. He loves taking a few from his toy box and bringing them to his bed when he naps. And most fortunately, he does my favorite thing dogs can do, the bobble head!

To my surprise, he is actually quite playful with other dogs. At first he's a little anxious (and protective of me, or his bone) but he warms up quickly. I think with some proper socialization and positive reinforcement this will be minimized in the near future.

I just took him to his check-up this morning and unfortunately his teeth are, as stated by the odd vet I went to, "horrible". He's going to need a cleaning and some teeth pulled, he's already missing a few. Also, both his back legs have luxating patellas (grade 2 and 3). The vet said that with some good exercise I may be able to postpone the surgery for about two years.

Anyway, I couldn't be happier with him! And I look forward to the day when I can bring a second dog (cavalier) into the home so he can have another dog to play with.

If anyone has some tips on how to get your dog to stop eating dog poop off the ground, that would be helpful. It's something I assume he picked up at the puppy mill.

Thanks again, everyone, for being so fantastic and helpful! And now, some pictures!

From my own research, if a dog has luxating patella grade 3 or worse and surgery is not performed early in the condition, while the dog is young, the dog will develop premature arthritis from the wear and tear from the knee cap movement.

Susan, black and tan markings are known as "King Charles", while "Prince Charles" is tricoloured